Quote:
Originally Posted by badgoodDeb
Wow. I did know that not all prisoners were Jewish, but I didn't know that the lock-ups and the tattoing started even before Hitler.
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Why do you suppose we have to 'raise your right hand' when swearing to the truth? Back in the old days, convicted criminals would have their right palms tattooed or branded. Showing a clear hand was proof that you were an honest person and could be trusted to testify... or so the story goes.
Jews were tattooed in ghettos from the late 1800's but were required to live in them much earlier. The term "ghetto" originated from the name of the Jewish quarter in Venice, established in 1516, in which the Venetian authorities compelled the city's Jews to live. Various officials, ranging from local municipal authorities to the Austrian Emperor Charles V, ordered the creation of ghettos for Jews in Frankfurt, Rome, Prague, and other cities in the 16th and 17th centuries.
As someone said... 'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.'
First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Stitchawl